@brookedonnelly04 Remember what we learned about assumptions. Take away the word "notwithstanding" and the sentence says " the planet Dune is a desert. It was revered and considered invaluable." You would be making an assumption that Dune being a desert is a good thing, that it makes it invaluable. When actually, all the author would be doing is stating facts: "Dune is a desert. It is valued by the people." Changing "notwithstanding" to something that indicates that Dune being a Desert is positive, such as "considering", does not change the fact that the author provided zero reasons for why deserts are an element of a planet that would be considered invaluable. So, no, it is not an argument. I am a beginner too and had to consider this for a while, so correct me anyone if I am wrong.